Daring Race
Important Job A large group of special SWAT team troops were busy squabbling about the possible risks of the mission. Jeniyus stood there patiently, waiting for them to come to a decision. Finally, they started to quiet down as they realized that something had to be done, and that this was, possibly, their only way. They fell silent, and one of them turned to Jeniyus, holding a small diamond. "Jeniyus. This is a very special diamond that will, hopefully, be displayed in the armed, heavily gurarded Benadine Museum in New Zealand. As I'm sure you know, Metrinos will definitely be after it, because of how expensive it is. Since you are the only one (on earth) who's ever been able to defeat him, we feel that the only way to get this diamond to New Zealand is by entrusting it to you." He handed the diamond to Jeniyus. Jeniyus, carefully, placed the diamond inside a small, dark green pouch with a large, loose strap, tied the pouch shut, and slung the strap over her shoulder. She, then, looked the man in the eyes, and said, "Alright, sir. I'll do my best. I can't make any promises, as Metrinos is really...unpredictable. But I'll give him hell before he takes this diamond." The man nodded. "Good luck. And Godspeed." He handed Jeniyus a plane ticket. She accepted them and said, "Thank you. I guess I'll be off now." Most of the other troops were looking down at their feet. They hated sending a young woman out to do something like this, but there was really no other choice. Jeniyus turned and walked out of the building. Let the Games Begin Jeniyus took only two steps outside before Metrinos jumped down in front of her from a small tree, smirking evilly at her. "Hello, Jeniyus. I believe you have something I want." He snapped his fingers and roughly eighty monsters appeared all around them, encircling him and Jeniyus. Jeniyus screamed in childish terror. (Feel free to join in) Suddenly, there was the sound of a crash from above and another monster crashed onto the pavement between Jeniyus and Metrinos- a monster that resembled a fiendish cross between vampire and werewolf; standing on top of the monster was a girl with colorless eyes and long, black hair. Strapped on her back was a curved sword and in her hands were two sub-machine guns, which she promptly pointed at the fiend before riddling it's brain full of bullets; the monster screeched before crumbling into black dust. Metrinos, Jeniyus, and the monsters stared in awe at the girl. Metrinos raised an eyebrow. "Uhhm..." Nearby, another figure, with dark brown eyes and long, shaggy hair landed from above, his descent slowed by his psychic power. "Um... are we not welcome here?" The girl turned to him, revealing her distant, mysteriously colorless eyes. "Of all the stupid questions..." Metrinos walked right up to the male figure and looked him in the eyes. He shifted his gaze between him and the girl a few times. "Never seen you two around here before. Who are you exactly? And why are you here?" "Whoa, too close, too close!" the male exclaimed, taking several steps back. "Our work doesn't concern you," the female said coldly. Metrinos smirked at her and said, "My, aren't we icy this evening? Well, if you're work doesn't concern me, then I advise you to step aside. These monsters I have here are...tricky." Fleur glared at Metrinos for a moment, before turning away. "Alan, none of these monsters are Defiled Ones. Let's go." "Wait a sec, Fleur." Alan responded, turning back to Metrinos. "Just what are ''you doing in the middle of a city with a horde of monsters?" Metrinos frowned a bit. "Are you superheroes?" "Those guys who wear the tights and capes and fly about saving the day and all that jazz? No." Alan responded. "Buuut, surely you'll get in my way if I told you I wanted to steal the diamond from my little friend over there?" "Not our problem, then." Fleur said. "But, wait- look at this guy! He doesn't even look like he'll be any trouble- we ought to just help out because we can!" "The organization's not gonna like that." "Well, screw the organization, I never wanted to join them anyway." Jeniyus smiled at the male. "You're...gonna' help?" Metrinos smirked at the male, a bit miffed. "I don't look like I'll be any trouble, ey? Well, you're in for a surprise." Fleur scoffed. "Fine then. If you want to help, I suppose I don't have much of a choice..." Metrinos's heart sank, and he sighed with discontent. "Great. More superheroes from another world..." Jeniyus raised her fists in the air. "Yes!" "No, no, we're some of the ones from Earth. But still... don't get your hopes up." Alan said. Fleur placed her guns back into their holsters and unsheathed her sword, stepping back near Alan. Metrinos smirked at the duo. "Hm. Well then, let's see how you like a concentrated attack from my army of monsters!" He raised his hand, and all at once, the monsters shot pink colored sleeping gas at them. "Sleeping gas?" Alan said with exaggerated contempt. "Big deal." Calling upon his telekinesis, he wills the putrid clouds away from himself, Fleur, and Jeniyus and toward Metrinos. Quickly, Metrinos created a barrier around himself to protect him from the gas. Then, the gas dissipated with a snap of Metrinos's fingers. He lowered the barrier. "No good, huh? Well, let's see you two escape ''this." He snapped his fingers again and a thick barrier appeared around Alan and Fleur. "There. With you two out of the way, I can easily catch Jeniyus and take the diamond." But before Metrinos could move, he suddenly felt a psychic force holding him back; Alan's telekinesis was more than adequate for holding him in place. Metrinos's facial expression turned to one of confusion. "What...is this?" Jeniyus pulled out her sword and swung it at the barrier around Alan and Fleur, shattering it. Fleur leapt forth and began to unleash her wrath on Metrinos' monsters- one by one a great number of the beasts fell to the bite of her blade as she spun, twisted, and sprung more gracefully and quick than any acrobat. Metrinos, still paralyzed in place, could only hear his monsters being destroyed. "Oh, come on! Are my monsters really that weak?" "Yes," Alan retorts. Metrinos smirked at Alan. "Really now? Well, my monsters may be weak, but I'm not the weak fool you think I am!" Metrinos summoned all of his willpower, and successfully broke free of Alan's psychic powers. Then, he shot a purple beam of energy at Alan. Alan, caught by the surprise of someone breaking through his telekinesis, is struck by the beam. Metrinos is surprised at his victory. "Ha! Yes!" Then, he turns and fires a beam at Fleur. Fleur twists back into a reverse handspring, letting the beam sail right past her and strike a monster. Metrinos grimaced. "Urgh...whoops." Jeniyus summoned her sword and began unleashing several psychic waves at the monsters, wiping out a few of them. Alan staggered to his feet. "Ow... dammit, that's gonna hurt in the morning..." he muttered. A slight pang of guilt quivered through Metrinos, causing him to hesitate for a moment. Jeniyus continued tearing through monsters. "Almost there!" Alan began an attempt to invade Metrinos' mind, trying to access his thoughts and memories. Metrinos put his hands to his head, sensing the invasion. "What...is going on?" "I am in your head," Alan's voice said in Metrinos' mind. Metrinos smiled, and chuckled good-naturedly. "Sorry, but I don't think you'll find much in there." "It never hurts to look." Metrinos laughed. "I don't think you've paid the entrance fee." Metrinos tried his best to force Alan out of his head. Then, he physically raised his hand, readying another beam of energy. "Alan, that's enough, we're done here." Fleur said. Metrinos looked around. "What?! You've defeated my monsters already?!" Jeniyus lowered her sword, breathing heavily. "Have to make it to the airport...but even then, there's no guarantee that I can keep the diamond safe from Metrinos," she thought. Once she caught her breath, she called to the others, "This way! We have to make sure this diamond reaches New Zealand!" Then, she sprinted off towards a nearby forest. "New Zealand?" Fleur asked incredulously, running after Jeniyus. "The organization is going to be pissed..." "Wonderful!" Alan exclaimed in reply, sprinting nearby. Into the Woods Jeniyus ran as fast as she could, looking back every now and then to make sure her companions were close behind. Then, she ran right into one of Metrinos's furry winged monsters, and was forced to stop. It didn't take long to see that there were several other winged monsters in the forest, surruonding the trio, but there weren't as many of them as there had been in the previous hoarde. A large energy beam shot over their heads, indicating Metrinos had caught up to them. Metrinos came closer and shot another beam of energy at Fleur. Fleur spun to the side, dodging the beam inhumanly fast before leaping up into the air, prepared to drive her blade through the monsters. Metrinos laughed, and said, "Oh no you don't! Not this time!" He raised his hand and a thick, light purple barrier appeared around the monster Fleur was about to attack. "Monsters, attack!" he commanded. All at once, the monsters flew about each individual of the trio, surrounding them in cocoons of monsters. Fleur's blade rebounded off of the barrier. Growling slightly, she hit the ground, and just as the monsters began to surround her, she cast aside her blade and lifted her guns, shooting upward towards all monsters that came near her. Alan tapped into his psychic energies and attempted to hold back the monsters that surrounded him. Jeniyus released a shockwave of psychic energy, destroying the monsters around her. Metrinos began to approach Jeniyus. "This time, why don't we subdue him before we take off?" Alan suggested, holding back waves of monsters. Jeniyus's arms hung in front of her in fatigue. "I have a rather hard time subduing him on my own. I guess I just didn't think of it. Whenever I'm on missions like this, my first instinct is to RUN." Metrinos's smirk grew larger. "You can't get away this time." "Bad instinct," Fleur commented, leaping up into the air and gunning down two monsters. Jeniyus glared childishly at Fleur. "Hey! I'm not as strong as you, and he has entire armies at his command! What do you expect me to do when I'm alone?!" Metrinos kept getting closer to Jeniyus. Jeniyus held her sword out facing him. "Let's dance," she said menacingly. Metrinos began firing several pink beams of energy at Jeniyus, which she countered with blue psychic beams. "I dunno, Fleur, sometimes retreat might be a good idea." Alan commented, running over to assist Metrinos. Fleur viciously gunned down another monster. "Smashing my problems down into a bloody pulp has always worked for me." Metrinos turned to face Fleur while continuing to fire beams at Jeniyus and Alan. "You sure are harsh. Maybe you need a good laugh." He took a moment to snap his fingers, and the monsters all began firing beams at Fleur that gave her a driving urge to laugh. Metrinos's smirk grew in anticipation. Fleur runs out of the way, narrowly dodging; one of the beams strikes Alan square in the back. "Augh, dammit, I... Hee hee hee... Hahaha... WHAhahahaT... THEhahaha... FUhahahaCK?!" Alan said, as he fell to the ground, roaring with laughter and clutching his stomach. Metrinos turned to Alan and crossed his arms, smirking down at him. Jeniyus's glare deepened. "Alan, what the hell ''are you doing?" Fleur asked. Jeniyus unleashes a psychic wave at Metrinos, knocking him back a few feet. Then, she tries unleashing psychic waves at the monsters, but they dodge each blast. "I... hahaha... Dunno... hahahaha..." Alan said through laughs, "He hit me... haha... with something... I CAN'T EFFING BREATHE! BWAHAHAHAHA!" Metrinos carefully gets up, and smirks at Alan. "Not the intended target, but hilarious nonetheless." Then, he put a barrier around himself as Jeniyus started to unleash psychic waves from her sword at him. A division of the monsters began firing their beams at Fleur while some still fired at Alan. Fleur flipped and spun gracefully through the air; Alan could do nothing as more beams struck him. "I'M... GONNA... KILL YOU!" Alan roared between racious laughter. Metrinos looked at Alan. "Oh, come now! Laughter is the best thing for stress!" Jeniyus was beginning to get worn down. She stopped swinging her sword, and stood glaring at Metrinos, gasping for breath. "This isn't good..." she thought. Then, she turned and put a psychic shield up in front of Alan to protect him from any more beams. "Forgot I could do that," she said, embarrassed. Alan's laughter soon became choking. "CAN'T... BREATHE..." Mustering up all the psychic energy he could, Alan released it, tearing apart the ground and uprooting a number of trees in the process in a large radius around himself, directing most of his focus toward Metrinos. Metrinos's barrier shattered in the force of the shockwave. Eyebrows raises, he stared at Alan. Metrinos gave a hand gesture, and three of the monsters flew towards Jeniyus. Jeniyus raised her sword and swung at them several times, only to have her attacks dodged. Alan crawled forth a short distance, then collapsed, clutching his stomach. "Ooh, the pain..." he grumbled. Fleur leaps up toward the monsters surrounding Jeniyus, slashing at one and gunning down the other two. Metrinos raised an eyebrow at Alan. "Pain?" Jeniyus walked over to Alan and knelt down. "Are you alright? I think we got the last of the monsters." "Ugh..." Alan groaned, clutching his stomach and crawling up weakly onto his knees. "How can anyone stand being tickled like that?" Fleur took a quick, unnoticed glance at Alan and Jeniyus, and with a huff, quickly turned away and pointed her weapons at Metrinos. "Now what, Hero-girl?" she asked Jeniyus with slight venom in her voice. Metrinos looked at the weapons with much intrigue. He shivered and stated, "How can anyone stand such violent things?" "They are required for my job. Protecting people." Fleur retorted. "And besides, you're one to talk..." Jeniyus turned to face Fleur. "I would say knock him out." She turned back to Alan. "It tickled?" "Have you ever been hit with one of those beams?" Jeniyus crossed her arms and smiled. "I can't really remember...Metrinos uses so many strange techniques to bring me down. As you've seen." Alan, gasping for air, pulled himself to his feet. "Well... if my excursion pisses off the organization, it'll be worth it." Jeniyus stood up as well. "Why do you hate the organization so much?" "...they're jerks." Alan mumbled. "Are they like...corrupted?" Jeniyus asked. "No. They're good guys. In the loosest sense of the term." Alan said. Jeniyus frowned and turned to Metrinos. "Should we trap him here or just knock him unconscious?" "Take him to prison, perhaps?" Fleur suggested, frowning. Jeniyus half-smiled. "He can't be taken to a normal prison. There's only one institution that will take him, and it's pretty far away." Jeniyus walked over to Metrinos, summoned her sword, and pointed it at his head. Metrinos raised an eyebrow at her. Jeniyus shot just enough psychic energy out of her sword at his head to knock him unconscious. He fell to the ground. Jeniyus frantically flailed her arms around, and shouted, "Now let's get out of here before he wakes up!" She began running off in the direction they had been running. "Screw running, I'm flying," Alan said, lifting himself into the air with his telekinesis. Fleur rolled her eyes and ran after. Speed Demons The trio ran for a few miles, and eventually made it out of the forest. Jeniyus stopped to catch her breath. "I think Metrinos still has more monster troops that will be out looking for me. We have to be careful." She did a few stretches to get ready for more running. "The airport is still a fair distance." Alan touched down on the ground nearby. Fleur caught up moments later, strangely unphazed by the long sprint. "Yeah?" Fleur asked. "Is there not some vehicle we can take or something to get us there faster?" "And where might you two be headed?" a new voice called out. Emerging from the trees was a pale man, completely covered in a black trenchcoat, fedora, and opaque sunglasses. There was a sickening smile on his face; the kind of irritating smile that made Alan want to punch the man. "None of your damn business." Alan fumed. "Oh, I've already heard where you were going; that was simply a rhetorical question. And you might want to be careful when you take the organization's ''property"-- Fleur clenched her fists-- "out to unapproved places." Jeniyus's upper eyelids lowered. "Ohh, you're from that orgainzation." "Fleur isn't your goddamn property!" Alan retorted. "She's human!" "She's dead," the man said. His smile remained there, if only to enrage Alan futher. "And the dead give up all of their rights at the time of their deaths." "And why's that?!" Jeniyus demanded. "It's simply the way of the world, sweetheart," the man said. "She didn't choose to be dead!" Jeniyus screamed, getting angrier. "You seem to take the fact that you are in the company of a corpse quite lighter than I had expected," the man said. Jeniyus crossed her arms. "And you seem to delight in taking away rights from those who have done nothing wrong." "Welcome to the world," the man said. "But keep in mind that if it wasn't for our efforts, many more of you people woul be dead on the streets at the hands of nightmarish monsters. But I'm not here to argue- I'm here to deliver the Organization's next assignment." "Do you hate Fleur or something?" Jeniyus questioned, still furious. "Why treat your own like garbage?" The smiling man procured an envelope from his coat, which Alan levitated toward himself. He snatched it out of the air and shoved it in his pocket. "Good. Now, go away," Alan demanded. Still grinning, the man turned away. "Oh, Alan? Consider this strike two." The man disappeared into the trees. Jeniyus turned to Alan. "Strike two?" Alan grinned. "Heh heh, yeah..." he said, with sheepish laughter. "What happens when you reach three strikes?" Jeniyus asked, concerned. "I dunno." Alan grinned. "But I'm willing to bet that it's just an empty threat." "Don't be so sure," Fleur said darkly. Alan sighed. "Always the downer, aren't you?" "I can see why you don't like them..." Jeniyus stated with melancholy. Then, roughly ten monsters came up out of the ground around them. These monsters resembled large skeletons, but were rather cartoonish in appearance. "Oh, come on!" Jeniyus yelled in fatigue. "Not so fast, superheroes!" yelled a voice from above. Jeniyus looked up, and hovering above the trio was the supervillain known as Terrin. He smirked down at the heroes. "I believe that diamond belongs to Metrinos." "What?! You don't even like Metrinos!" Jeniyus howled. "I never said I didn't like him. I just don't care much for other villains. Although, this time is different. Three against one isn't fair, and I want to even the odds in the hopes that, perhaps, one day Metrinos will return the favor. I'll keep you three busy while he recovers." The skeletons lunged at the trio, attempting to grab them. Fleur leapt up into the air, attempting to bring her sword down on one of the skeletal monsters. Alan stepped back, knowing that his psychic prowess was useless against hordes of brainless monsters, but his telekinesis, on the other hand... Alan directed his focus toward one of the monsters, willing it to fly back into another monster. Jeniyus swung her sword at two skeletons, unleashing a psychic wave at them. One was destroyed, but the other leapt over the wave, and charged at Alan. Alan kicked at the skeletal fiend, imbibing his attack with psychic force. Fleur meanwhile was leaping and flipping nimbly around the monsters, attacking with a perfect blend of brutality and precision. Jeniyus glared at Terrin. "You..." She swung her sword, unleashing a psychic wave at him that he dodged by dropping to the ground. He smirked at Jeniyus. "Just give us the diamond, superhero. It's not like those rich fools need it." "Bite me! Jeniyus retorted. Alan stepped forth and attempted in invade Terrin's mind as he had done with Metrinos. Terrin's will collapsed before Alan's mind invasion. He fell to his knees, staring at Alan. Alan blinked in surprise. He wasn't expecting it to be this easy. "Call off the monsters." ''Alan commanded. Terrin was able to resist Alan's will, but only just barely. "No. Why are you doing this?" he thought. ''"Easiest way to ensure no one is physically harmed. Terrin scoffed somewhat. "What do you care about harming me?" he thought. "I'd prefer not to harm anyone, but I will if forced- careful, my focus as a psychic is quite poor; any sudden moves might only serve to hurt you.." Terrin smirked and chuckled at Alan. "You think my mind is your playground? Let's see you deal with this." And with that, Terrin began to visualize a good number of his crimes, trying to push Alan's good mind out of his criminal one. Alan began trying to increase his focus, attempting to move through Terrin's memories and reach his mind. "Using memories as a diversion? Classic. However..." Terrin narrowed his eyes. "Not good enough, huh? Then I suppose I'll try a more direct approach." Terrin focused on trying to force Alan out. "Monsters, take him," he commanded out loud. While Alan was focused on Terrin, two skeletons rose out of the ground near him and grabbed him from behind. The sudden grab of the monster's snapped Alan back into his own mind with a jolt; Fleur noticed this too and leapt forth, placing her guns at the heads of both creatures and gunning them down. Alan dropped to the ground, clutching his head; being torn out of someone elses mind by force often left his with a brief headache. "You ok?" Fleur asked, standing over him like a guardian of sorts. "Just... fine..." Alan said, dazed slightly. Terrin rose to his feet and laughed. "Did that startle you, little superhero?" Jeniyus ran up to Terrin and sucker-punched him across the face. This dazed Terrin at first, but he quickly recovered and grabbed hold of Jeniyus. "Gotcha!" "Nooo!" Jeniyus hollered. "Fleur, cover me." Alan said. Focusing his willpower, he once more attempted to invade Terrin's mind. Terrin shouted, "Oh, no you don't, hero boy! Don't move a muscle or I'll....uh.....I'll uh.....pinch her cheek er...something." Jeniyus's drooped slightly and looked at Terrin. "Seriously?" "I'm no hero," ''Alan spoke into Terrin's mind, increasing the ferocity of his attack. ''"I can only be me. Deal with it." Terrin began to weaken, and Jeniyus kicked him in the shin, causing him to yell in pain. Jeniyus took the opportunity to pull out of Terrin's grasp, and punch him across the face once again. Terrin stumbled backwards and held his head, a bit dazed from the attacks. He shook his head to regain his senses and summoned more skeletons from the earth, despite the continuing psychic attack from Alan. Fleur held her sword in one hand, and a gun in the other; she tensed up, ready to mow down any monster that approachd Alan. Alan continued his attack, trying to worm his way into Terrin's mind. "This one is slippery as hell," ''he thought to himself. Terrin faced Alan, his monsters around him. "You want a mental showdown, boy? You've got one." Terrin tried as hard as he could to push Alan out, and attempted to invade Alan's mind. ''"Crap, he's a psychic too?" ''Alan thought with momentary worry. Quickly envisioning a brick wall in his mind's eye, that was all Terrin found as he entered Alan's mind. "Hmm..what's the matter? Don't want me to see your mind? What are you afraid of?" The skeletons began to approach Alan. Jeniyus was able to destroy a few with her psychic waves, but more were still coming. Fleur leapt about like a blur, slashing through the monsters closest to Alan with her katana. Alan used Terrin's distraction with the brick wall as an attempt to sneak around his focus and into his mind; though by doing so, dropping his guard... Terrin pushed will all his willpower into penetrating Alan's mind. "Gotcha' now, hero!" Alan staggered back, literally falling onto one knee at the force of Terrin's attack; mustering up all of his willpower, the threw the force of his thoughts against Terrin's mental defenses. Terrin was pushed back somewhat by Alan's attack. He could feel his willpower weakening. Jeniyus unleashed a psychic wave at him when she saw an opening, but Terrin narrowly dodged it. He summoned more minions to stand around him, forming a sort of shield to protect him from Jeniyus and Fleur. Alan could sense Terrin falter; with another forced attack, he grappled with Terrin's mind, trying to force his way in to subdue the villain. Terrin began to go down onto his knees. "No...no..." Then, Alan began to feel the same sensation as before when Metrinos's monsters zapped him with their energy beams. "What the... NO! NOT AGAIN!" Alan said, doubling over with racious laughter. "Miss me, heroes?" teased a familiar voice from behind Alan. Jeniyus whirled around to see Metrinos standing there smirking at her, holding a small ice pack to his forehead with his right hand. A large number of the winged monsters hovered behind him, continuing firing their beams at Alan. Jeniyus summoned her sword weakly. "This is insanity," she lamented. She was nearly in tears. "I failed them..." she thought. Then, the five could hear the sound of a speeding motor. Jeniyus turned back around and saw a large pick-up truck speeding towards them. "What the...?" The Truck spun slightly and screeched slightly. A man dressed in soldier attire opened the front door and shouted, "Jeniyus, get in!" Jeniyus looked to her two companions and said, "Let's go guys!" Jeniyus ran past the weakened Terrin and climbed into the back of the truck. She motioned for Alan and Fleur to do the same. Fleur pulled the still-laughing Alan up to his feet and dragged him over to the truck, half-throwing him in before jumping in herself. Run Away The driver took off as fast as he could, speeding away from the villains and monsters, who, in turn, took pursuit after the truck, with Terrin flying after it, and Metrinos hoping on and riding one of his winged monsters. Metrinos shot beams at the ground near the truck, attempting to induce a flat tire. The winged monsters shot multiple beams at the trio. Fleur leaned back, aiming her guns out of the window toward their pursuers. "...careful... Fleur..." Alan gasped between laughs. "We can't kill... people... just monsters..." Jeniyus's sword disappeared, and she tightened her hands into fists and raised her arms in front of her, forming an X-shape. Then, dark blue crystals began to appear in front of her. She took a step forward, and uncrossed her arms like swords, swinging them to her sides. The crystals flew at the villains and monsters, destroying some monsters, missing Metrinos, and pelting Terrin in the head. Fleur's guns split the air with their fire, though Fleur was careful not to hit Metrinios nor Terrin. Metrinos switched up his game, and started firing his beams at the ground in front of the truck, causing the driver to swirve around to avoid the beams. Jeniyus held onto the back of the truck, becoming very dizzy. "Oh, man..." she groaned, turning a little green in the cheeks. "Can't... get a clear shot..." Fleur said through her teeth. "My... turn." Alan said, seemingly relieved of his tickle attack. Tapping into his psychic prowess, he wills the ground to explode behind the truck. The villains and monsters are caught in the explosion, and a dust cloud envelops them. The truck gets farther and farther away before the dust cloud clears and Jeniyus can see that Terrin and Metrinos are on the ground far behind them. "YES!!" she shouts triumphantly, and falls to her knees in fatigue. "Lovely," Alan said, complimenting himself. Jeniyus turns to the driver. "How did you know where we were?" The soldier laughed, and said, "I didn't. I followed the sounds of combat and explosions until I found you." Jeniyus smiled. "Ha..." "We have to get to the airport..." the soldier stated. Alan opened the file that the strange man had given him earlier. He raised an eyebrow. "Well, fancy that." Jeniyus turned to Alan. "Heh? What is it?" "Our next target is in New Zealand. Coincidence, huh?" Jeniyus raised her eyebrows. "Yeah! That's awesome! And yet they still gave you a strike two for helping me? Ugh..." "I hate them." Alan fumed. "They really do seem awful..." Jeniyus lamented. The soldier laughed warm-heartedly. "Sometimes, the people I work for can be difficult as well. If you have to stay with them, try to look for the good they possess." Alan sighed. "You don't know these people. Sure, t's through their efforts that we kill monsters that only we can kill, but do you think that they do it out of the kindness of their hearts?" He shook his head. "Why do they do it, then?" Jeniyus questioned. "...not out of compassion, I know that much." Fleur looked as if she were ready to say something, but decided against it and resumed silently looking out the window. The truck sped on, and eventually they reached the airport. Jeniyus perked up. "Finally! We're here! Thanks, Lieutenant Roy!" The soldier nodded and said, "Sure thing." He handed two plane tickets to Alan and Fleur. "Here. You two'll need these." "Thanks. Saves us some trouble." Alan said, taking the tickets and handing one to Fleur. Jeniyus jumped out of the back of the truck and looked to the airport with a grave expression. "Okay, guys. Now comes the hardest part of the mission....airport security...." "A-hem." Fleur gestured to her belt and sword-strap, on which hung rounds of ammo for her two guns, and not to mention her sword itself, in plain sight. Jeniyus scratched her forehead. "Yeeeahh...that might be a problem..." "Normally, we'd have transportation set up for us, but since we're tagging along with you..." Alan twirled a lock of his hair between his fingers; a habit of his when deep in thought. Jeniyus crossed her arms. "Well....I guess we could just go and explain our situation." "I doubt that'll work." Alan said. "Well, what do we do? We have to have our weapons." "I'll have to create an illusion." Alan said, after some silnce. "That should work!" Jeniyus stated optimistically. "Okay, let's go." The three advanced into the airport. Hoardes of people shuffling about each other greeted their eyes. "Do the talking for me." Alan said. "Someone needs to help me along- my focus will be elsewhere..." Alan suddenly cast the illusion upon everyone in the airport, imagining a weaponless Fleur- which is what everyone saw as the four entered. The four walked up to the main counter and showed their tickets. They were, then, directed to the security checkline. Jeniyus guided Alan as best she could. "Keep that illusion spell going." Alan gave off an exhausted groan. "Meh..." Slowly, they advanced in the line, and managed to get through security checkpoints with ease. Finally, they were moving towards the plane. Jeniyus sighed quietly in trepidation and said, "I hope I don't get airsick too easily this time." Fleur looked with worry toward Alan. His eyes were only half-open, and his face was growing more pale by the second. "Too... much..." Alan murmured. "Too... much... hurry..." Fleur understood. Casting an illusion as a psychic involved infiltrating the minds of every living being the illusion was to be cast upon- not an easy feat for psychics, and to do it inside a building with thousands of people for even such a simple thing as making weapons seem invisible required a great deal of strain and energy. Grabbing a free carry-on bag, Fleur placed her weaponry inside and motioned to the others. "Hurry. Get on. He can't take much more." Aeronauts The four quickly climbed aboard the plane, which had been specially prepared for this mission. They couldn't see any other passengers on board. Alan was the first to sit down. Fumbling for a moment with the seatbelt, he immediately shut his eyes and drifted off into an exhausted sleep. Fleur sat on his right, near the window. Alan was using her shoulder as a pillow. Jeniyus also sat down in the seat across the lane from them, and the soldier sat in the seat in front of her. After a short while, the plane took off, and the four were headed for New Zealand. Alan slept silently for the first five hours. Fleur sat still, but was holding his hand, while allowing him to lean on her for support. Jeniyus looked over to Fleur and Alan. "I'd be willing to help you out in your mission at New Zealand once we're done delivering the diamond." Fleur sighed. "I appreciate your concern, but no thanks... the work we do... it... I just don't want anyone else hurt that doesn't need be..." Jeniyus was about to say something else, but her air sickness made her press her head back against her chair and take a few, quiet, deep breaths. "Air sickness?" Fleur asked. "Don't think about it- it's a psychological condition more than anything." "Psychological? What, like I'm afraid of flying and the nausea is a side-effect or something?" "Possibly. ''Are ''you afraid of flying?" Jeniyus shook her head. "Not at all." Fleur was about to respond when Alan shifted slightly; she looked at him with slight concern, and pressed a hand against his forehead. "He's getting feverish- he pushed himself too far with that last stunt..." Jeniyus looked to Alan with a sad countenance. "I hope he's okay..." "He's fine. He just... never pushed himself like that before..." "You two work together a lot?" Fleur sighs again. "We have to. In return, the Organization lets me live." Jeniyus's eyes widen. "The Organization would kill you otherwise?!" Fleur looked toward Jeniyus. Her eyes were hollow. "I'm already dead." "Why is the Organization so cruel to you? Is there even a reason?" Fleur was silent for a moment before responding. "Why not? The dead have no meaning to them." "But why? Don't the need you?" "I'm not the only walking corpse they have. And more are made every day, too. Those who die with regrets, fears, become possessed by demons... and they walk the earth as if they were living... their regrets, fears, and desires twisted into a desire to kill... but some of us can be bonded to another person. When that happens, it subdues the demon inside of us and allows us to at least have a human mind..." "Sounds like you've been through a lot. Why does the Organization have to make things worse? And if they need you and other, uhh...'walking corpses'....then why do they treat you like garbage?" "Because they can." Fleur said simply, with a faint note of irritation creeping into her voice. Secretly wishing for the conversation to end, she turned toward Alan, feeling his forehead again, then absent-mindedly, without realizing it, gripped his hand tighter. Jeniyus rested her head against her chair once again. "They sound awful..." "That's because... they ''are..." Alan said weakly. His eyes were only half-open. "Alan! Are you ok?" Fleur asked. "...my head feels like it's exploding..." Alan said. "I'm never... ever... doing that again..." "You're getting feverish," Fleur said. "Don't talk. Just rest." "But... Fleur..." "Rest. You sure as hell need it." Alan sighed, but understood. He shut his eyes and fell back asleep within moments. Fleur placed an arm around him, acting surprisingly tender despite her normal amazonian attitude. Jeniyus smiled at them. "You two an item?" Fleur was caught by surprise. "Wha- I, er..." she stuttered, suddenly caught off guard. Jeniyus's smile turned into a grin, and she turned away so Fleur wouldn't see it. "It's just that... Alan and I, we were friends since we were children... before I died, that is." The smile slowly left Jeniyus's face. "When did you die? How long ago?" Fleur glared at Jeniyus for a moment, then her face softened. "It was over a year ago... one night, a group of people broke into my house... They killed my parents, my little brother... they dragged me out and tore off my arms and legs, and left me to bleed to death..." A hollow expression appeared on Jeniyus's face, as though her spirit had left her. Once again, sadism proved to be the most detestable evil in her opinion. "I'm so sorry...I...had no idea..." "I'll kill them, though..." Fleur said. Rage was growing in her voice. "The people who killed me... I won't rest until they are all dead..." "That's understandable. The world would be a lot better off without people like that." "Yes, it would," Fleur said. Suddenly, a flash of purple light appeared in the lane near the front of the plane, and Metrinos and Terrin materialzied in the plane. Jeniyus glared at them. "Oh come on! Really?!" In an instant, Fleur pointed her gun at the two. "Get out. NOW." Terrin outstretched his arm, his palm facing Fleur, and shot the gun out of her hand with an orange beam of energy. Metrinos came forward and smiled at Jeniyus. "Jeniyus. Are you alright? I remember you told me you typically get airsick when you fly." Jeniyus stood up a little uneasily, and said, "I'm fine, Metrinos. But you're not getting this diamond." Metrinos smirked and said, "Oh, I'm afraid that diamond is as good as ours." "Try it, punk," Fleur challenged. "I'm not afraid to stick a sword in you." Metrinos looked to her and raised an eyebrow. "My, my! Such a desire for violence!" The nausea returned to Jeniyus, and she nearly fell over onto her side, but grabbed the arm of her chair and held herself up with it just in time, going down onto one knee. Metrinos placed his hands on Jeniyus's arms with a concerned look. "Careful! Come now, why don't you sit down for a bit?" Metrinos placed her back in her seat. Jeniyus shook off her nausea and stood up again, summoning her sword to her hand. "Why don't you get off this plane?" The smirk returned to Metrinos's face. "Why do you try so hard to protect the top one percent, Jeniyus? It's not like they don't have plenty more money." A bead of sweat dripped down Jeniyus's forehead from the motion sickness. "I protect the law." Fleur continued to stare intently at Metrinos and Terrin. Her thoughts drifted toward her second gun and sword, hidden beneath the seat, but she decided to wait...